


Unintended Consequences

by Wigmund



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Ending, Corruption By Power, Doomed Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-01-12
Updated: 2011-01-12
Packaged: 2017-10-14 17:06:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/151536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wigmund/pseuds/Wigmund
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose Lalonde has been corrupted by the powers provided to her by the Horrorterrors.<br/>Now Dave, John and Jade must unite and stop her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unintended Consequences

They should have done noticed something when she stopped talking to them. But they just put it off as "Rose being gothy and weird". By time they noticed something was wrong, it was too late to change the inevitable result of all of their actions.

It was her own dreamself that was the first one to be consumed by her madness. Rose traveled to Derse and absorbed her. When Dave's dreamself tried to protest her strange and frightening actions, he too joined her. Then she went after John's dreamself on Skaia. There was nothing he could do to stop her.

But together, the three kids figured they had a chance. On The Land of Light and Rain they waited.

"You really think she will come back here?"  
"Of course, we're all here."  
"But what makes you think she'll come after us?"  
"Because she's gone bad."  
"I don't believe you Dave."  
"What the fuck dude? She ate your dreamself.  
You got to experience that and you don't think she's gone bad?"  
"Maybe it's the Horrorterror's fault. Maybe they've done something to her."  
"Nothing she didn't ask them to do to her by playing tanglebuddies with them.  
Besides, if she was unwilling - she'd want us to do this to stop her."  
"I don't want to do this Dave.  
Please don't make me do this to Rose."  
Jade clutched her rifle and started to cry. True misery at the thought of what they had to do to stop their friend.

To save her.

John hugged Jade and began to weep as well. Weeping for all that was lost, for all that could have been.

Dave patted both of them on their shoulders, he didn't cry. He couldn't bring himself to. Not after losing Bro and Davesprite. Not after watching that thing Rose had become do those...things to her own dreamself and then turn on him when he tried to stop her madness.

He knew what had to be done.

Rose appeared a short distance away from them. She just floated there in the air, suspended by tendrils of oozing darkness. They couldn't see her eyes, but that was for the better. Those had been the first thing to be changed by Rose's consorting with the terrible things beyond the Veil. She just had two black voids where horrible things writhed. But she didn't need eyes to know her former companions were waiting for her.

And what they had planned.

"It's so nice to see all my old friends together.  
We have never all been together like this before have we?"  
Rose turned her head to look over her shoulder at them. A horrible smile on her face chilled their souls.  
Her hands, clutching the Thorns of Oglogoth, twitched.  
"Whatever could you all be plotting?  
Is it a party?  
I love parties.  
Oh yes, today is our birthday - it must be a birthday party."  
She turned around and started towards them.  
"My gog, she looks like a ragdoll Dave.  
What the fuck has happened to her?"  
Dave clutched Caledscratch.  
"She's a goddamned puppet John. Just a fucking puppet."  
Rose started laughing, contorting and twisting in the air as she did so.  
"Oh yes Dave, I've become a puppet.  
Do you want me to laugh for you?"  
"HOO HOO"  
"HEE HEE"  
She pointed one of the Thorns at him.  
"ha ha"  
A black tendril of energy shot out at Dave who just barely managed to get out of the way.  
"Enough of this you fools.  
I will not let you all stand in the way of my efforts."  
"John! Jade! Let's get this over with!"  
John and Dave both rushed towards Rose and started attacking her. She easily dodged out of reach of them. Jade just clutched her rifle...unable to bring herself to draw a bead on her friend.  
"Jade! Fucking do something!"  
Jade couldn't. All she could do was watch her friends fight each other. Occasionally either John or Dave would almost lay a blow upon Rose, but she would protect herself with a shield of darkness before they connected.

John was the first one to be injured by Rose, he took a tendril in the leg...nearly crippling him. Then Dave took one to the side, sending him reeling.

Jade had to shoot Rose. She knew that...but she couldn't pull the trigger...she couldn't watch Rose kill the others...

She had to do something.

She pulled the trigger.

Rose blocked the shots.

Jade kept trying.

Rose watched Jade with contempt.

"Silly little girl. You think your pea-shooter can do anything to me?"  
She turned her attention away from the fallen John and Dave and drifted towards Jade as the bullets plinked uselessly against her powers.  
"I have stolen the powers of the Horrorterrors themselves to save us all and yet you all turn against me!  
How dare you all!"  
She was right on top of Jade now. The black voids staring down at the frightened girl.  
"And now you all shall be punished."  
Rose raised both wands into the air.  
"Nothing is worth saving now, I might as well let the Destroyers have this universe."  
The horizon turned black. Looking closely Jade could see tentacles reach out of the darkness and tear chunks of reality away.  
"w-w-why? Why Rose?"  
Rose looked down at the cowering girl and pointed a Thorn at her.  
"Because this is what we deserve.  
We have failed.  
And nothing can save us."  
Jade fired straight into the air.  
"How fruitless, but just as well.  
Not that shooting at me would have done anything..."  
Dave stirred and propped himself up.  
"Yo Becsprite...  
GOOD DOG!"  
Jade squinted and shrieked.  
"BEST FRIEND!"  
There was a brief flash of green high in the air...  
and then right behind Rose.

She turned to see the dogsprite behind her.

She didn't have time to do anything before the bullet tore through her gut.

Rose collapsed to the ground. She screamed and writhed on the ground. John and Dave by this time had managed to pull themselves up and head over to Jade and Rose. John scooped up Rose and cradled her.

The darkness was gone. All that was left was a scared girl. A girl in pain.

A girl who was dying.

"John...Oh god is that you John?"  
"I'm here Rose. I'm here."  
"What happened John? Why do I hurt?  
What is going on?"  
John looked Rose over. He found the hole where the bullet entered Rose's gut.

He also found the much larger hole where the fragments exited her back.

She was bleeding out in his lap.  
"Something bad happened. But it'll be better soon.  
I promise Rose. It'll be better soon."  
Rose's leg kicked and spasmed on their own accord.  
"John?"  
"Yes Rose?"  
"I think I wet myself."  
John and Rose both laughed at that...but then she cringed and cried out in pain as her life slowly slipped away.  
"John...it HURTS! Please stop it. I don't want to hurt anymore. I don't want to die. Please don't let me die John."  
She clutched at him and wept.  
"I don't want to die John. Please don't let me go.  
Please."  
"I won't Rose. I'm here for you.  
We all are."  
Jade and Dave both came up and cradled the frightened girl.  
"I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry I screwed everything up.  
I'm so sorry."  
"Hush Rose, everything is alright. I don't hold anything against you."  
Dave reached out and took hold of one of Rose's hands.  
"It's all cool. Don't worry about anything."  
Rose smiled at them as a trickle of blood ran down her chin.  
"I...I....oh GOD..."  
Rose spasmed one last time and laid still.

She was gone. And soon they would be too.

Jade and John both looked up at Dave. They all knew what he had to do...but he didn't have much time either. The wounds from the Thorns are cruel. Even the slightest blow means doom for the victim. Dave clutched at his side as the darkness consumed his flesh. It hurt, but he had just enough time to accomplish his task.

"Don't worry guys. I've got this handled.  
None of this will ever happen."  
He pulled out the Turntables and got ready to head back.

John smiled at him.  
"Don't worry about us Dave, just go back and make sure this never happens.  
Goodbye friend."

Jade ran up and kissed Dave.  
"I love you."  
Dave smirked despite the pain.  
"Me too."  
Then he was gone. Gone into the past to keep this timeline from ever happening.

John looked out across the horizon. The darkness was quickly approaching. His leg was lost. There was nothing left for him.

He looked up at Jade.  
"Make it quick. Please Jade. Make it quick."  
Jade clutched her rifle and choked back more tears and failed.  
"No John...I can't..."  
"There's no choice. One way or the other, we're dead. I don't want to suffer anymore.  
Please Jade. Make it quick."  
"John...I...I'm sorry."  
She walked behind John and took aim.  
"It's alright."  
He collapsed over Rose's body. A look of peace was upon his face.

Jade arranged them so they held each other. She began to cry.

She cried for all that was lost.

She cried for having to lose her friends.

She cried for having to take their lives.

And she cried because she knew what was inevitable.

She sat down next to Rose and John's body.  
"I'm so sorry everyone."  
She placed the rifle under her chin. She closed her eyes.  
"I'll see you all soon."


End file.
